Amex is closing the Centurion Lounge in Los Angeles until later this year
You'll have one less airport lounge to enjoy when traveling through the nation's busiest West Coast airport.
On Monday, June 7, Amex shuttered its flagship Los Angeles Centurion Lounge until later this year. The issuer cites "building repairs" as the reason for the temporary closure.
In a statement shared with TPG, Amex said that "the Centurion Lounge at Los Angeles International Airport is temporarily closed due to building repairs. We apologize for the inconvenience and look forward to welcoming our premium Card Members back soon. Barring any construction delays, we expect the lounge to reopen later this year."
It wasn't immediately clear if the building repairs were related to the Centurion Lounge itself or to the larger structure in which it's located in the Tom Bradley International Terminal.
Related: The ultimate guide to American Express Centurion Lounges
Either way, if you're passing through LAX in the coming weeks and months, you won't be tempted to trek though the airport for a visit to the Centurion Lounge.
Cardmembers of the The Platinum Card® from American Express, The Business Platinum Card® from American Express or the Centurion Card can access the Delta SkyClub in Terminal 2 when flying with Delta, or the Alaska Airlines lounge in Terminal 6 through the card's included Priority Pass membership. Enrollment required for select benefits.
The Centurion Lounge at LAX is one of the issuer's newest lounges, but it's only been open for a couple of months. The outpost officially opened on March 9, just days before the pandemic effectively brought the travel industry to a screeching halt.
Amex closed all of its lounges networkwide, including the LAX location, on March 21, and only started reopening some in October. The Los Angeles lounge reopened in November, but only with limited services.
Cardmembers could visit the lounge, but only for takeaway food and drinks due to the local COVID-19 restrictions. I even popped into the lounge last week before my JetBlue Mint flight to New York-JFK and found that the issuer was still sticking to its to-go offerings, despite indoor dining resuming in Los Angeles.
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Though the blue doors to the LAX location are now closed, Amex is busy working on expanding the Centurion Lounge network. New outposts are slated to open in New York's LaGuardia, London's Heathrow and Washington D.C.'s Reagan National airports in the coming months. The new locations join upcoming expansions in San Francisco and Seattle.
The growth of Amex's lounge network comes as its rival credit card issuers — Chase and Capital One — are busy preparing for their airport lounge debuts.
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The Marriott Bonvoy Business Amex is a stacked card with a rewards rate that will help you earn bonus points on everyday and business-related purchases. You'll earn 15 elite night credits each calendar year, and receive automatic Gold elite status. Finally, the free night award certificate with a redemption level of 35,000 points or less can get you hundreds of dollars in potential value each year.Pros
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- 2 points per dollar on all other eligible purchases
- Earn a free-night award each card renewal month (up to 35,000 points)
- Receive 15 elite night credits to jump-start status
- Transfer Marriott points to 40+ airlines
Cons
- Airline points transfer ratios are poor
- Must spend $60,000 in a year for second free-night award
- Limited Time Offer: Earn 125,000 Bonus Marriott Bonvoy Points after you use your new Card to make $5,000 in purchases within the first 3 months of Card Membership. Offer ends 5/3/23.
- Receive a 7% discount off standard rates for reservations of standard guest rooms at hotels that participate in the Marriott Bonvoy program when you book directly. Terms and Conditions Apply.
- 6x Marriott Bonvoy Points on each dollar of eligible purchases at hotels participating in the Marriott Bonvoy® program.
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